Conventional advertising on computer networks generally involves the use of banner ads on Websites. Advertisements can be provided to a host site operator. When a user accesses the host site, the host site operator may display those ads on the host site. If a user selects the ad, then the host site operator may obtain a fee.
While such conventional advertising schemes are useful, a number of problems exist. For example, such conventional advertisements are not targeted to a specific user, so the ads are not as effective as ads that are specifically targeted to a user. Further, in addition to not being user specific, such ads may not be timely. Ads may be provided to a host site, but purchasing preferences or pricing may change over time. As a result, such ads may not reflect the current intent of the ad provider.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems, individually and collectively.